To Fall For a Shadow
by DilemmaDisgrace
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is walking home from her best friends house one night when she is surprised by a certain cat. After spending more and more time together, she finds herself slowly becoming very close with the famed solo saviour of Paris. But what happens when the lone Chat Noir encounters a villain he cannot battle on his own? Miraculous Ladybug reverse crush AU MARICHAT
1. 1 - A Figure In the Shadows

Alya Cesaire was many things, but a matchmaker she was definitely not. Marinette Dupain-Cheng sat next to the ombre haired girl, watching as she swiped down dating websites. They had been sitting there on the couch for the past three hours, looking at possible bachelors for Mari to try her luck with. It had been forever since she had been romantically involved with someone, she desperately craved that kind of companionship. Of course Alya's methods to hook her up with people weren't always preferable. Although she craved companionship, she maintained that she was happy being single. Marinette wanted to focus on her career and schoolwork, and dating somebody would only cause distractions, and prevent her from achieving her goals. The blogger was determined to set her best friend up with someone. Ever since her and one of their friends, Nino, had gotten togther, she hadn't left the subject alone. It was annoying, the blue girl had to admit, but it was also nice she was looking out for her./p

"Girl, what about this one? He's a college student, just like you..." She felt her best friend nudge her in the ribs, eagerly awaiting for a response, and as Marinette's head turned to face her, the ombre haired girl offered a wink.

"Alya," she groaned in reply, rolling her eyes and moving away so she couldn't hurt her ribs again. This was starting to get even more irritating. Why couldn't she just leave this subject alone?

"Fine, fine, I'll keep looking. I'm sorry girl, but I ain't resting until I find you a man, because who's gonna take care of my little Mari after I die?" she raised her eyebrow, grinning deviously. She turned her focus back to her phone and continued to scroll down the dating page with the wicked grin still sprawled across her face.

"Are you planning on it or something?" Mari raised an eyebrow with concern ./p

"Of course not. But you never know. Nino might murder me in my sleep for snoring, I might drop dead of exhaustion from work, and then there's always dangerous criminals that could drag me into an alleyway and murder me right then and there. There's always a possibility, girl, no matter how slight the chance is."

"Thats just your obsessive paranoia. And you're totally not exaggerating at all..." Alya ignored the underlying tone of sarcasm.

"Never."

Marinette shook her head in disbelief, she couldnt believe her best friend was going this far. But then she was hit with the realisation that she really shouldn't have been surprised, she could be pretty melodramatic whenever it came to situations like these. The raven haired girl glanced at the clock that was hung up on the wall just above Alya's bookshelf. Crap... it was past midnight and she had work at 9. With haste, she got up and walked over to the dining table, where her jacket was resting beside her keys and purse. She grabbed them quickly and slipped on her jacket as she made her way to the door.

"Alya, it's getting late, I should get home," Mari shouted at her from the kitchen. As if on que, Alya was up and over within the time frame of about three milliseconds. Her arms wrapped around her before she could process what was happening. Her body was warm, and she could feel the rising and falling of her chest as she breathing. Mari offered a grin as she pulled away and turned the handle slowly, preparing herself for the shock of the midnight atmosphere.

"Thanks for dinner, and for keeping me company," the blue haired girl smiled one last time as she opened it and stepped outside. The instant cool of the night air hit her like a slap to the face, as she knew it most certainly would.

"Have a safe trip home, keep the pepper spray at the ready!" She waved goodbye.

"I'm not gonna get attacked, I'm literally walking two blocks away." She glared at her. "Besides I can protect myself." and to this, Alya snorted with laughter.

"You never know, see ya Mari!" She turned away and heard the door click shut behind her. It was a very cold night. Winter had just started a few short weeks ago, so snow was expected to fall over the next few days as the temperature rapidly continued to drop. She had found that she needed to resort to using thick and fluffy woolen jackets in order to cope through the long freezing hours of each day.

Already shivering, and she had barely made it even twenty metres away. Her feet had automatically began to start their journey home, allowing Mari to glance up at the beautiful night sky whilst she did so. Paris was beautiful at night, granted there were many dangers due to the high rate of crime lately that seemed happen at any time, but this didn't detract from the beauty that was visible at night time when the entire city was illuminated by both lights and the stars in the sky. Having lived there her entire life, it was amazing how it still never ceased to amaze het. She could just make out the Eiffel Tower, in all it's lit up glory, it's top just poking out of its hiding place above some of the apartment buildings that lined the streets. Deciding to stick to the sidewalk instead of the middle of the road, she took the opportunity to appreciate the different varieties of bushes and shrubs that decorated the gardens of the city, even if it was dark and they couldn't be seen clearly. All of the branches stretched up high and had lost all their leaves to the cold, obviously they had been cut back to reduce hurting any pedestrians as they passed on through during the hours of the day. Although the temperatures and climate that came with winter didn't aggree with necessarily agree with Marinette, she longed more than anything to be able to walk through the parks and watch as the very same branches begin to hang low with the weight of the snow that would soon cover everything in a thick blanket

After a few more minutes spent appreciating the nature around her, the blue haired girl found herself regretting the fact she hadn't brought another jacket or something to cover herself with. The frigid air was starting to seep through the fabric and onto her skin. There was a howl as the wind started to pick up, and her arms shivered as they became covered in hundreds of tiny goosebumps.

Crossing her arms against her chest in hopes of preserving some of her body heat, the temptation of turning back and spending the night at Alya's apartment became all too appealing. As heavy breaths escaped her, she could see the air she was breathing out coming out as steam. Man, she could not wait until she could have a warm shower and cuddle up in bed underneath the comfort of her clean sheets.

Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was an all too evident sound of footsteps just ahead of where she was standing. Her heart began to thump faster than it ought to as she slowly reached into the purse for Alya's pepper spray. The frostiness lingered in the midnight air. The nearby sound was pricking at her nerves and diminishing what little was left of her courage. She could feel goosebumps rising on her skin, and adrenaline pumping through her veins, and this impulse continued to haunt her as she just stood there. Her breath caught in her throat as a long shadow cleaved through the light spilling out of the street lamp that was situated just ahead of her.

The adrenaline was screaming for her to run, her mind lingering on the idea for her to turn back and just stay with Alya for the night. But her body was frozen. Frozen in fear. She was glued to the spot, unable to move a muscle.

"A figure jumped down from the building infront of her. She screamed as loud as her lungs would allow her to, and without thinking held out her can of pepper spray, her only defense and let it loose without a second thought.

"AHHH SHIT MY EYES!" The figure screamed launching backwards immediately, holding their face in their hands. Marinette recognised the shape as he stepped back into the light. A black leather cat suit with wild blonde hair? It was none other than the saviour of Paris himself.

"C-chat Noir?" She whispered, quickly getting disposing of the pepper spray as panic replaced all of the fear she had just experienced. She had just wounded Chat Noir! "I am so s-sorry! Oh my god, do you need me to take you to the hospital? Fuck I am such an idiot!" She rushed over to the man in the cat suit, hoping desperately she could assist and undo the damage she had caused him.

He looked up and into her eyes with a sly grin plastered on his face and started giggling like a little school girl. "Gotcha!" he winked panic that had once been seeping through her system instantaneously faded. Instead it faded into a sudden rush of rage.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY YOU EVIL CAT! You scared the absolute SHIT out of me!" Her yells echoed through the empty street, disturbing the silent and peaceful atmosphere. A few lights in the neighbouring buildings flickered on as Marinette death glared the superhero, contemplating whether or not she should bash him over the head with her purse or not.

"Careful now, Princess, you're waking people up, wouldn't want them to miss out on their valuable sleep," his voice warned. It was masculine yet soft, and sounded somewhat friendly. And she could definitely understand why he was in his current profession. Someone with that much muscle tone would certainky be able to hold their own in a fight. His black skin tight suit accentuated these features on his arms and chest, so it wasn't completely her fault for noticing. She took a huge deep breath in to completely calm down before she turned to directly face the man that stood in front of her.

Chat Noir was Paris's saviour, having protected the city from many ruthless thugs and terrorist attacks singlehandedly. Not only that but he patrolled making sure every citizen was safe, and woke up at insanely early hours of the morning in order to ensure the city was safe. There wasn't anything evil about the black cat. There had been blogs made about him, fanpages and all sorts. He was also extremely popular with the female side of Paris.

"Lucky I'm wearing a mask that covers my eyes," he winked again.

"Just as well! Goddamnit, that was so reckless and irresponsible! What do you want Chat?" She rolled her eyes at him, hoping he would see through the darkness of the night, and at the very least feel bad.

"What's your name?"

"Marinette," she replied.

If he saw the look on her face, he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he leant down on one knee and gently grasped her arm, pulling the back of her hand up to his face. He pressed his lips softly to the skin and then returned the hand back to her side with care. She definitely hadn't expected this. If she was completely honest it did make her heart rate increase at a very rapid rate, something she hoped he couldn't hear.

"A lovely young lady such as yourself shouldn't be wandering the streets alone at night, Princess," he whispered, standing up again, but she was too preoccupied gazing into his deep emerald green eyes in mesmerization. They were stunning.

"I can handle myself, but thank you for the concern." To this he chuckled quietly.

"And you would risk it?" He offered a friendly looking smile. "The streets are dangerous at night time, crime is at an all time high. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to you."

She felt her eyebrows raise at this. "Are you threatening me?" She teased, not entirely serious, but it was fun to watch the expression on his face go from happy to worry. But it didn't last. He placed a hand over his chest, pretending to act hurt, like the drama queen he was.

"Me-owch, how you wound me. I would never hurt a Princess! It's part of my knightly code of conduct," He continued, "I was simply going to offer you a ride home, considering how it's such a chilly night. Don't think I didn't notice you shivering back there."

That statement made her stomach do a backflip. Did that mean he had been watching her walking in the dark from Alya's place? Had this cat been following her? She decided to ignore the pressing thought, and instead, accepted his offer because she was undoubtedly cold and still had a block and a half to go before she reached her apartment. If she had indeed returned to her best friends place for the night, the blogger either would have been asleep or condemned the poor blue haired girl into looking at more dating sites.

"Where am I taking you, Marinette?" He smiled as he placed one arm under her legs and the other over the small of her back, picking her up bridal style.A little startled by the sudden action, Marinette glanced up at his face as he awaited a response.

"Head towards the Notre Dame, I'll let you know where the go when we get closer," and with that Chat began to sprint down the length of the street, building up enough veloctiy to jump on top of the buildings with his baton and run across the rooftops towards their destination. The blue haired girl gasped in surprise as he was hurtling through the air, but she used the given opportunity to observe her surroundings. The view of Paris from the pavement was nothing compared to what she could see up there. There was a clearer view of the stars that were scattered all over the sky, and the Eiffel tower was much more visible. The glowing city was a sight to behold, she wondered what it was like to see this all the time, just like Chat would. She wondered if there were any crimes being committed at this very moment, and how Chat found out about them. There were a lot of questions she would love to ask him if she ever got the chance, all relating to how he managed to live a double life and combine that with the responsibility of making a living. A person would have to be super organised to be able to be successful whilst simultaneously protecting the whole city of Paris. Her train of thought was interrupted by a small chuckle.

"You know, most people are terrified being this far up from the ground."

Marinette glanced up at the man as he continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop. His face was relaxed, and she realised that he didn't actually look that old. She'd never really considered it before, but he looked very young, possibly even the same age as her.

"Yeah well, I'm obviously not most people. Heights have never been a problem for me, same with spiders, I don't scare easily," she replied with a smug smirk on her lips.

"Is that so?" Chat asked curiously, "what about needles?"

"Why are we talking about fears, Chat Noir?" She questioned.

"Just trying to make conversation while we travel, don't wanna make things awkward for you since I have no idea where I'm going and I don't know how long it'll take to get there," Chat spoke as in a tone that made Marinette shake her head.

"We are almost there, I can see my balcony from here," she pointed in the distance to a group of apartment buildings beside the length of the Seine. When she had decided a few years ago to move out of her parent's bakery near her old high school, she made the executive decision to rent her own apartment near the small boutique she was currently working at as an apprentice. It would be convenient for travelling purposes, and Alya was only a few short blocks away, so she had someone to crash with for the night if she ever felt lonely. The apartment she had rented was small, but it was on the top floor of the building it was in, which was perfect because it came with a large balcony that reminded her of her old home. She often found herself sitting outside gazing over the wonder of the city, watching as the pedestrians and cars all past by during the late hours of the night and early hours in the morning. Sometimes it was the only break she got from her stressful work life. As an aspiring fashion designer, Marinette was expected to follow specific instructions when creating a textile product for her boss, and although she loved that kind of work, it kept her up most nights and she found that she was constantly exhausted.

Gracefully and with much care, Chat gently landed on the flat expanse of her balcony, and gently placed her legs on the floor. It was almost as if he had integrated the behaviours of an actual cat into his personality, the way he ran silently through the night, leaping almost elegantly from each building to another. Marinette was so curious about the strange man. She'd always admired his work on tv and everything but she had never actually met the guy until that night.

"Well, here we are, the princess's knight in shining leather has safely delivered her home for the night," Chat bowed like a gentleman.

"Would you like a hot chocolate or anything? It's the least I could do, considering you just carried me nearly two blocks home," Marinette was trying to be polite. He shook his head in response.

"Thanks, but I have to pass, it's getting late." He reached for her hand again and placed another gentle kiss there before making a two finger salute and clicking a button on his baton. "Sleep well, princess and stay safe."

She watched as he jumped off her balcony and for a second she was worried he was going to hurt himself by hitting the ground below them. But he rose from top of the building and jumped over other buildings close by. And then he disappeared just like a shadow in the dark. 


	2. 2 - A Conversation Over Cookies

**A/N - Hey everyone, so I know it's been like 6 months since last update and that's because I just started my senior year in high school and haven't had much time to write anything other than math formulas. I know it's a stupid excuse and I shouldn't use it, but I am. I just want to let you all know this is going to be a very irregular paced fanfiction, which will be updated only when I have time to do so. Plus I have had no inspiration for this story, and literally do not have a plot yet. Hopefully it will turn out okay. I'm sorry again. And just to let you all know, this is an AU where Ladybug doesn't exist yet, and Hawkmoth hasn't made an appearance. Also, it's kind of an reverse crush AU, in the sense that there isn't a ladybug so Adrien/Chat potentially would fall for Mari instead. IDK we will see how this turns out. Until then, hope you had a good start to 2019.**

Marinette hadn't slept very well that night. Her mind had been running wild about what would follow her at work later that day. She knew with the freezing winter weather approaching fast, people would be expecting warmer attire, which meant that the demand for clothes was going to become more regular. Although sewing and designing clothing was her one of her greatest passions, she didn't like having to work under pressure as much as doing it leisurely. Not to mention she couldn't stop thinking about the events of the night previous. The blue haired girl was no stranger to weird occurrences, after all she lived in a city where crime was at an all time high, and the city's protector was a man around the same age as herself dressed in a skin tight leather cat suit. But what really baffled her was the lingering thought that the hero might have been following her. After all what he had said had been fairly suggestive. That couldn't be right though, after all, who would want to waste their time following some random girl home? However, after thinking about that some more, she decided she might not want to know the answer. Chat Noir seemed like a decent guy on the news, but the media tended to over glorify things and even though he always seemed put the safety of others before his own, that didn't mean he couldn't be a creep.

On her way home from the boutique, her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt ping from her jacket pocket. She reached for her phone quickly and turned on the display screen. It was none other than Alya.

A - You get home alright last night?

She paused for a second. Should she tell her best friend about the incident with Chat? Or was that a bad idea, considering she was a reporter. Something she definitely didn't want to get out were rumours that anything was happening between her and the hero. That was attention she wanted to avoid at all costs. The last thing Chat Noir needed was a bad reputation, especially since he was Paris' only hope to fight crime, apart from the police of course. Nobody needed to get the wrong idea. She decided to withold that aspect of her night from her best friend. Maybe she would enlighten her sometime in the future.

M - Yeah, i only had to walk like 2 blocks

She felt guilty for lying to Alya, but she knew it was for the best, at least for now.

A - Ik, but I worry for you, it's my job. I shoulda called you a cab

M - Well thx but i'm ok. Exercise is always good

A - Alright, gtg, going to Nino's in half an hour

M - Have fun

A - Oh I'm planning on it ;)

M - ALYA FFS

A - love ya, bye 3

Shaking her head in disbelief, Mari placed her phone back into the pocket of her jacket and continued down the street towards her apartment, where she longed to take sips from a nice hot chocolate and seek refuge from the cold underneath a warm blanket.

Sometime between stuffing her face with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that her parents had dropped off a few hours ago and trying to generate some new designs that she could use for her school assignment, Marinette had collapsed onto her desk in a deep sleep with her head resting gently on her arms. The daylight of the afternoon had faded during her nap into a dark and starlit sky, with not a cloud to be seen for miles. However the cold winter air still lingered, so prior to her sewing she had set her heater to turn on so she could continue to do what she needed later into the hours of darkness.

It wasn't until she heard a tap on the window that she began to stir. At first she thought she was just dreaming, and her subconscious was playing tricks on her, but when she wearily opened her eyes after the annoying sound persisted, she knew she was wrong. Something, or rather some one was knocking on her window. Groggily, Mari got to her feet and dragged herself over the the window, glancing through only to see a wide pair of glowing green eyes. And suddenly, she was snapped wide awake.

It took a few seconds before her brain could process what was happening. Her eyes remained fixed on the figure perched on her window sill, awaiting for her to open up. What could he possibly want with her? And did she want to know? At long last, she hesitantly opened the glass separating them.

"Hello, Chat Noir," She smiled, even though even though she was still suffering from the effects of her long nap, and the worry of what he could possibly want from her, it caused her stomach to sicken with sudden anxiety.

"Good evening, Princess," his soft, velvety voice greeted as he gently took her wrist and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand just like he had done the night previous.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked a little sarcastically, however, she was genuinely curious as to why the saviour of Paris was paying her a visit, especially since they had never even met before yesterday. What could the famed Chat Noir want with someone like her?

"I just wanted to check up on you and make sure you hadn't caught a cold or anything after last night, that would be absolutely paw-ful!" a wide grin spread on his face, exposing his gleaming white teeth.

Marinette groaned.

"I'm fine thank you, and I haven't caught a cold as far as I'm aware," as she glanced up to his face and into his eyes, finding herself mesmerised by the beautiful emerald glow looking back into her own. She found herself staring unintentionally, almost hypnotised by them. The night before when she had first glanced at him, she hadn't noticed his eyes as much because he was in the shadows, but now when the lights of her apartment were shining brightly behind her, she could make out his face much more clearly. It reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite think of who.

"Like what you see?" he chuckled lightly, causing Marinette's cheeks to grow red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," she paused, "it's just, you have really beautiful eyes, I didn't notice them last night is all. They remind me of someone."

Chat Noir's face lit up with appreciation. "Thank you, princess, likewise," he winked. "Do you mind if I come in for a while?"

Marinette opened the window up wider and gestured for him to enter.

He gave her another smile before hopping through the window and landing gracefully on his feet. The hero walked over to her couch and sat down gently, admiring the piles of designs all around the room, plastered onto the walls and scattered over the table. He picked up the one she had been working on before she fell asleep, and she watched as his eyes widened with amazement.

"These are fantastic, Marinette!"

The blue haired girl offered a bashful expression before replying with, "thanks."

"So you're a designer then?" he glanced up, curiously.

Marinette nodded quickly, "An aspiring one anyway, I'm studying fashion in college currently. It's interesting work, but requires a lot of time and effort. Hopefully it will pay off in the end." She paused. Why was she telling him this? It's not like he cared or anything. He was simply just making sure that she was okay. Right?

"But that's enough of my rambling, my life is nowhere near as interesting as yours. It must be exciting to run on the rooftops at night and fighting crime. You're like the Paris equivalent of Batman!"

The blonde man chuckled to himself. "I guess so, just a lot less broody. Plus I don't have a sidekick."

The designer giggled at him. At least he was funny. It seemed like nobody nowadays had a sense of humour. She remembered in high school when everything was fun and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Now, it felt the complete opposite. Alya was the only person she really kept in contact with. she saw Nino around every so often, but he was usually too busy trying to devour her best friend's face. The rest of the girls she had been friends with had moved to different parts of France to pursue their own careers, so she didn't get to hang out with them either. Even Adrien, the guy she used to be head over heels for, she hadn't spoken to since highschool had finished. From her knowledge, he continued to model for his father's fashion company. It made her sad to think of her teenage years. Marinette missed her old school. She missed hanging out with all of her friends. She also longed for a time where college wasn't taking up every bit of her spare time.

"So Chat, aside from ridding Paris of crime, what do you do for a living?" She stood up and walked to her desk where the container of fresh cookies sat, waiting to be consumed. Napping was hard work and she deserved a treat. She walked over to the man in leather and offered him a biscuit, taking one for herself and biting into it eagerly. He smiled.

"Thank you," he said politely as he took one and put it in his mouth. "My civilian life is actually quite boring. I'm working for my family business at the moment. But I don't really like it because it feels like I was pressured into it by my father." Marinette noticed a frown work its way onto his face.

"But you're like over 18 though right? You're an adult. You should be entitled to make your own decisions."

"It isn't that simple. Ever since my mother went missing he's been so overprotective of me. I get the concern and everything and I appreciate it, but I'm not free to make any decisions for myself." His unhappy face disappeared momentarily as he finished the last of his biscuit. "These are great, did you make them?"

"No, I barely have time for anything, my mother and father dropped them off earlier for me, they probably feel sorry for the lack of free time I have anymore." The blue haired girl sighed and took another treat from the container, offering another to Chat, who gratefully accepted. She felt sorry for him, she hadn't known much about him prior but from that little bit of information, it sounded like he had a pretty sad life.

They sat there in a still silence for a while. She could hear the soft sound of the wind gently pressing against the windows of the apartment, begging for entrance but denied. Marinette was certainly glad she was on this side of the window. The weather forecast for the night had predicted much snowfall, which even though it would create beautiful scenery the next morning as the first layer of snow for the year would coat the ground, she much preferred to stay inside with her hot chocolate, heater and blankets.

She glanced back at the superhero sitting in front of her, and noticed the expression on his face. She couldn't possibly guess what he was thinking, but if his thoughts were visible, she was sure there would be an explosion in her room right about now. She decided she needed to distract him from his thoughts, since they were obviously making him uncomfortable.

"Does your father know that you're a superhero, Chat Noir?" she questioned, genuine curiosity filled her mind.

He looked at her and smiled again. "No, princess, nobody knows my true identity. Especially my father, if he found out that I was constantly battling people who swing at me with knives I would never be allowed to go outside again." His body didn't stop tensing. She made a mental note not to ask him about his father anymore.

"Here have another cookie," she insisted until he took another treat from the container. Her mother and father's cooking was always high quality and made her feel better when she was feeling down. He gave her an appreciative smile.

"Are you trying to make me fat?" He said, giggling humourously between mouthfuls, "because you're doing great."

Marinette laughed, at least he hadn't lost his sense of humour.

He stood up and brushed cookie crumbs off of his suit. "Sorry about the mess, Princess. They were delicious though, make sure you pass on compliments to your parents." He winked at her. A wave of butterflies fluttered about in her gut. She felt her cheeks redden. What was happening? She never got flustered anymore.

"So you're going then?" she asked, almost disappointed. When he first knocked on the window, she was concerned and even confused of his intentions, but he seemed friendly enough. It was nice to chat to someone who wasn't her boss or Alya.

"I should get going, before my father or anyone else notices that I'm gone. The last thing I need is to draw attention to myself." He paused before he started walking towards the window. His suit in the light showed off more of his muscles. Marinette had never really noticed it in the pictures and videos, but the guys body was so defined, he had legs that reminded her of an Olympic athlete's and his arms were taut and looked like they could lift five people or more at once.

She shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to be caught out staring at him again.

"Alright, please be careful getting home. There are plenty of dangerous thugs around this time of night."

Chat chuckled, "not to worry, I can handle myself well in a fight." He opened the door to the balcony and hopped up on the railing. Judging by his figure, she would easily believe that statement.

She followed, closing the door behind her and feeling the cold air bite at her skin. There were flakes of snow hurtling around in the wind, layering everything in the street in a thick white blanket. The raven haired girl imagined all the children who would be having play fights and making snowmen once morning arrived. With winter, a certain sense of closeness was always established between everyone. After all, Christmas wouldn't be far away and everybody wants to spend time with their friends and family. The cold white flakes were just an association of course, but it all helped. The trees would soon have no leaves left, and the lake outside of town would soon be frozen over. It was truly beautiful just to look at.

Glancing back at the leather-clad hero, she watched as he turned back to face her.

"If it's not too much too ask, would it be alright if I come around tomorrow night again?"

There was something about the look in his eyes, whether it was a strong desire to get to know her better, or something more. For some unknown reason to her, she could sense the loneliness in his voice, and wanted so desperately to make him feel better. She barely knew this guy. He had carried her home the night previous. He had stopped her from freezing in the darkness of the streets during the dead of night. Something about his face was enough to make her forget about all the potential danger she could be putting herself in by becoming his friend.

But the side of her that was every bit as curious as he was got the better of her, she answered, "Yes, of course."

He smiled and then gave a small two finger salute as he leaped off the balcony and maneuvered his way onto the next set of houses across the street, running off in the distance until eventually she could no longer see his tall, dark figure. If it weren't for the cold night air she probably would have stayed outside to admire the snow a little longer, but she felt like drinking another hot chocolate and the appeal of a heater was too much for her.

The rest of the night had flown by. Marinette had resumed her project and finished off as much as she could before she retreated to her cozy, warm bed and called it a night.


End file.
